The Dogs of Toronto Animal Services South

Here are a few pictures of Aubree (now Aoco) happy in her new home! she loves to be pet, loves to jump up on your lap and say hello, and now is very good at going up and down stairs! She's adapted really quickly to living at home with us and now everyone in the neighborhood knows her!

Michelle and Margaret do a lot of work with IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare) and through them a lot of dogs are rescued from up north, transported and adopted out in Toronto by Toronto Animal Services.

On a recent transport, Lou was rescued from a place called Whapmagoostui which is some place in Quebec half way up to the arctic. Who doesn't want a dog from some place named Whapmagoostui? It's barely even on Google maps is how out of the way it is. No street view that's for sure.

Lou's a big boy and appears to be great with people and most other dogs (but maybe not so great at the vet's office, I'm told). He loves the outdoors and may actually prefer to sleep in the backyard on warmer nights.

Presently, Lou is being fostered by Margaret. Here she is describing him in the car:

I think you can tell Lou is a special guy. I think he is still figuring out the ways of the "south" so someone patient and kind is a must! He has always done as he pleased but was very loved by his owners. On the way home from TO he decided to lie on top of the wire crate which I have set up in my van and it started to buckle under his weight. There is a ton of room in the back of the van with blankets and toys, but I think he was getting bored so had to look out the window from a higher place. I opened the side windows a bit, even though it was poring rain, so he could focus on something and get air. That made him happy. My crate now has a bent roof.

Here's a short video of Lou walking in the woods with some human and dog friends:

If you're interested in Lou or have any questions about him, please contact Michelle at IFAW. She can be reached by email at: mcliffe@ifaw.org, or by phone at: 647 986 4329.

This is Joka's second time round through Toronto Animal Services South. His first adopter put a lot of work into him but due to an unfortunate family situation had to give him up after a year and now this huge snuggle of a dog is waiting for another chance.

Here is Joka getting some snugs:

Here is Joka meeting a JRT:

Here is Joka doing some simple commands. Even though this is his first time listening to Michelle and there were a few distractions around, I think he did pretty good.

The best way to check on the adoption status of this dog (and other dogs and cats and other small domestic animals) is to visit Toronto Animal Services adoption website or call 416 338 6668 for the Toronto Animal Services South shelter. If the dog is no longer on the TAS adoption website, it's probably because it's been adopted already.

Woobie goes up to a typically hairless Chinese Crested and says, "Hey, man, where's all your hair gone to?" and the other CC is like, "You need to shave, dude," and Woobie's like, "You must be cold in the winter," and the other CC is like, "Yeah, but we get to run around naked all the time! Woohoo!" and Woobie's like, "Okay, whatevs."

The best way to check on the adoption status of this dog (and other dogs and cats and other small domestic animals) is to visit Toronto Animal Services adoption website or call 416 338 6668 for the Toronto Animal Services South shelter. If the dog is no longer on the TAS adoption website, it's probably because it's been adopted already.

This is Bob. Bob is Eeyore's father. You can tell Bob is a free spirit because you kinda have to be to have a name like Bob and then still have the gumption to name your kid Eeyore.

The best way to check on the adoption status of this dog (and other dogs and cats and other small domestic animals) is to visit Toronto Animal Services adoption website or call 416 338 6668 for the Toronto Animal Services South shelter. If the dog is no longer on the TAS adoption website, it's probably because it's been adopted already.

Aubree is a Poodle Cocker Spaniel used as a breeding dog in a puppy mill so she's still shy due to lack of positive interactions with humans. She can be a bit skittish when outside but otherwise is a lovely lass who warms quickly to people and friendly dogs.

The best way to check on the adoption status of this dog (and other dogs and cats and other small domestic animals) is to visit Toronto Animal Services adoption website or call 416 338 6668 for the Toronto Animal Services South shelter. If the dog is no longer on the TAS adoption website, it's probably because it's been adopted already.

Rolling in the grass is apparently Maggie's favorite thing. I just finish pulling all the twigs and leaves out of her coat and she drops and rolls some more. It looks like fun and I can think of a couple people who would probably be happier if they did the same.

The best way to check on the adoption status of this dog (and other dogs and cats and other small domestic animals) is to visit Toronto Animal Services adoption website or call 416 338 6668 for the Toronto Animal Services South shelter. If the dog is no longer on the TAS adoption website, it's probably because it's been adopted already.

A request

The reason for this blog is to help get specific dogs adopted from TAS but equally important is to try to normalize the idea of shelter dogs being just as good and just as desirable as any other dogs including those which are regularly merchandised by backyard breeders, puppy millers and those few remaining pet store owners who still feel a need to sell live animals. The single greatest stigma shelter animals still face is the belief that shelter animals are substandard animals. Anyone who has had enough experience with shelter animals knows this is untrue but the general public hasn't had the same experiences you've had. They see a nice dog photo in a glossy magazine and too many of them would never think of associating that dog with a dog from a shelter. After all, no one abandons perfectly good dogs, right? Unfortunately, as we all know, perfectly good dogs are abandoned all the time.

The public still too often associates shelter dogs with images of beat up, sick, dirty, severely traumatized animals and while we definitely sometimes see victims such as these, they are certainly not the majority and, regardless, even the most abused animals can very often be saved and made whole again.

Pound Dogs sometimes discusses the sad histories some of the dogs have suffered. For the most part, though, it tries to present the dogs not as victims but as great potential family members. The goal is to raise the profiles of animals in adoption centers so that a potential pet owner sees them as the best choice, not just as the charity choice.

So, here's the favour I'm asking. Whenever you see a dog picture on these pages you think is decent enough, I'd like you to consider sharing it on Facebook or any other social media sites you're using (I know many of you do this already and thank you for that). And when you share it, please mention that the dog in the photo is a shelter dog like so many other shelter dogs waiting for a home. If we can get even five percent of the pet buying public to see shelter dogs differently, to see how beautiful they are and how wonderful they are, and to consider shelter dogs as their first choice for a new family member, we can end the suffering of homeless pets in this country.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------